- Joined
- Oct 16, 2003
- Messages
- 5,004
- Reaction score
- 85
I'll soon be going on a long trip and need some books to read during the flight. Can anyone recommend a few good books a premed student should read? Thanks.
Need reading material
- Thread starter Pinkertinkle
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2002
- Messages
- 1,005
- Reaction score
- 1
Yeah, House of God was ok...Have you ever read Angela's Ashes? I really liked that book....I think the last really good book I read was "I know this much is true" by Wally Lamb...however that baby is 900 pgs or so 🙂
My reading over the break is going to consist of a couple books by Kay Redfield Jamison, a survivor of suicide...see, I work at a suicide prevention hotline which explains my interest 🙂
I was just reading the Diary of Anne Frank tonight; I saw it at the library and realized I'd never read it. Poor girl! Reading about that era is so interesting but so depressing too.
My reading over the break is going to consist of a couple books by Kay Redfield Jamison, a survivor of suicide...see, I work at a suicide prevention hotline which explains my interest 🙂
I was just reading the Diary of Anne Frank tonight; I saw it at the library and realized I'd never read it. Poor girl! Reading about that era is so interesting but so depressing too.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2003
- Messages
- 239
- Reaction score
- 0
If you like fantasy novels then Villians by Neccessity by Eve Forward is a must read. It is one of the best fantasy novels I have read.
On a more serious note, And the band played on is a good read about the AIDS epidemic.
On a more serious note, And the band played on is a good read about the AIDS epidemic.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
- Messages
- 3,124
- Reaction score
- 131
hustler is always a quility read.
ok, for real, check out: 'Complications: A Surgeon's Note on an Imperfect Science' by Atul Gawande. It's basically about how LITTLE we know and how much we screw up, and struggling to reconcile the fact that we will make mistakes with the fact that we're doing the best we can and kind of balancing the yin and yang.
ok, for real, check out: 'Complications: A Surgeon's Note on an Imperfect Science' by Atul Gawande. It's basically about how LITTLE we know and how much we screw up, and struggling to reconcile the fact that we will make mistakes with the fact that we're doing the best we can and kind of balancing the yin and yang.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2003
- Messages
- 169
- Reaction score
- 1
White Coat by Ellen Lerner Rothman is a good book if you want to read about med school (its about becoming a doctor at Harvard.) Or as others have reccommended, House of God.
If you DON'T want to read about how hard your life in med school is going to be, my favorites are Lance Armstrong's autobiography (Its Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life) and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
If you DON'T want to read about how hard your life in med school is going to be, my favorites are Lance Armstrong's autobiography (Its Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life) and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2003
- Messages
- 196
- Reaction score
- 0
choke by chuck palahniak....
its somewhat related to medicine...i mean there is a medical student in it...
its somewhat related to medicine...i mean there is a medical student in it...
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2003
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 0
"Under the Banner of Heaven-A Story of Violent Faith" by Jon Krauker. He is the bomb ass non-fiction writer and this a really interesting story about the history of Mormon's and Fundamenaltist Mormans and all kinds of **** (he is an acclaimed author). Oh, and i'm not a Mormon but for those that are it's all good.
F
ForensicPath
Good pick. I think I may read a couple of Kurt Vonnegut books over break. I might read Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk as well.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2003
- Messages
- 196
- Reaction score
- 0
ive started survivor, apparently much better than choke. choke seems similar to fight club.
as for kurt vonnegut, ive read many of his books. after awhile, they all start to sound the same. but ones that are worth reading are god bless you dr kevorkian (short and amusing), and slaughterhouse five (amazing!).
but according to my boyfriend galapagos and hocus pocus.
as for kurt vonnegut, ive read many of his books. after awhile, they all start to sound the same. but ones that are worth reading are god bless you dr kevorkian (short and amusing), and slaughterhouse five (amazing!).
but according to my boyfriend galapagos and hocus pocus.
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2002
- Messages
- 1,230
- Reaction score
- 4
A few of my favs:
The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston
*this book is about an Ebola outbreak, and it simply kicks a lot of a**. I believe the movie "outbreak" was based on this, but the book is 50 million times better
The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks
*a collection of clinical tales from a neurologists' most interesting patients.
The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
*just a great book overall.....its one of those spiritual-type books that EVERYONE can relate to
The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston
*this book is about an Ebola outbreak, and it simply kicks a lot of a**. I believe the movie "outbreak" was based on this, but the book is 50 million times better
The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks
*a collection of clinical tales from a neurologists' most interesting patients.
The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
*just a great book overall.....its one of those spiritual-type books that EVERYONE can relate to
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2002
- Messages
- 5,576
- Reaction score
- 6
This is a good book! It's not the basis for "Outbreak" though. "Outbreak" is a cheesy fictional movie where everyone freaks out because of a viral epidemic in the US, whereas <i>The Hot Zone</i> is about real outbreaks of Ebola that occured in Africa and the outbreak of Ebola Reston in monkeys in Virginia. It's that much more exciting because it's true.
I also suggest <i>Wicked</i> by Gregory Maguire and I second <i>Their Eyes Were Watching God.</i>.
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2003
- Messages
- 139
- Reaction score
- 1
If you haven't read the Lord of The Rings series, you must read it now. If you have, it is time to reread it and then see all three movies. I love the Lord of the Rings, can't wait to see the last movie!
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2002
- Messages
- 1,230
- Reaction score
- 4
Yes, outbreak was an extremely cheesy movie that only did half-decently b/c of its superstar cast of actors. Although the two are drastically different, Outbreak was infact based partially on Preston's book, and I believe it was also based off of another book called Coming of the Plague, by Laurie Garret.
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2001
- Messages
- 4,269
- Reaction score
- 0
How about the LOTR series? And if you happen to finish it on your way, you can read the appendices and bonus--learn Elvish.
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2000
- Messages
- 996
- Reaction score
- 6
A few suggestions, grouped into convenient categories:
Nonfiction-
Interesting/non-medical:
"Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser- will make you re-consider ever eating at McDonald's again
"Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond- very interesting examination of the factors that have led to the dominance of Western culture in the modern world
Interesting/medical:
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down"- excellent, well-researched account of an ill Hmong child in America and the cultural barriers that prevent her from receiving the medical care she needs
Light reads:
-anything by David Sedaris (he's hilarious; "Holidays on Ice" is especially appropriate to the season) or Hunter S. Thompson
Fiction-
"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood- sort of a feminist "1984"
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair- if you haven't already read it, you should
Just my personal opinion, but I wasn't impressed with "House of God"- I felt it was over-hyped and the writing was sub-par. Many pre-meds worship this book though, so you may enjoy it too.
Nonfiction-
Interesting/non-medical:
"Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser- will make you re-consider ever eating at McDonald's again
"Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond- very interesting examination of the factors that have led to the dominance of Western culture in the modern world
Interesting/medical:
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down"- excellent, well-researched account of an ill Hmong child in America and the cultural barriers that prevent her from receiving the medical care she needs
Light reads:
-anything by David Sedaris (he's hilarious; "Holidays on Ice" is especially appropriate to the season) or Hunter S. Thompson
Fiction-
"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood- sort of a feminist "1984"
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair- if you haven't already read it, you should
Just my personal opinion, but I wasn't impressed with "House of God"- I felt it was over-hyped and the writing was sub-par. Many pre-meds worship this book though, so you may enjoy it too.
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2003
- Messages
- 95
- Reaction score
- 0
In response to a few postings:
I love Oliver Sacks. Check out "An Anthropologist on Mars" if you liked "The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat."
"The Celestine Prophecy" was sooooo badly written! The only reason I finished it was because the ideas were interesting (but very hocus-pocus, smoke this thang-y). And I gave it an honest try too...
"Fast Food Nation" was great. Just another example of how corporate culture gets away with almost anything in this country, and how "out of sight, out of mind" we tend to be. Whoa... better get off that tangent. 🙂
I love Oliver Sacks. Check out "An Anthropologist on Mars" if you liked "The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat."
"The Celestine Prophecy" was sooooo badly written! The only reason I finished it was because the ideas were interesting (but very hocus-pocus, smoke this thang-y). And I gave it an honest try too...
"Fast Food Nation" was great. Just another example of how corporate culture gets away with almost anything in this country, and how "out of sight, out of mind" we tend to be. Whoa... better get off that tangent. 🙂
